Mount Nittany Medical Center exemplifies national and statewide trends for hips and knees

The number of Pennsylvania residents undergoing total joint replacement of knees, hips or shoulders increased significantly between 2006 and 2010, according to a recent report released by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4). Mount Nittany Medical Center is following the national and statewide trends in the significant increase of joint replacement surgery in 2010.

"Mount Nittany Medical Center is a recipient of HealthGrades® Joint Replacement Excellence Award™ for the fourth consecutive year, which allows patients to see how healthcare facilities compare and underlines the exceptional care the Mount Nittany Health provides," said Linda Kuhlman, RN, MSN, vice president of professional and clinical services, Mount Nittany Medical Center.

During the five-year period covered in Orthopedic Surgery in Pennsylvania, 2010, hospitalizations rose 16.1 percent for total knee replacement, 22.2 percent for total hip replacement, and 100 percent for total shoulder replacement.

For more information on joint replacement surgery and the other forms of treatment provided by Mount Nittany Medical Center's orthopedics department, visit mountnittany.org. To learn more about the report provided by PHC4, an independent state agency charged with collecting, analyzing and reporting information to help improve the quality and restrain the cost of healthcare in Pennsylvania, visit http://www.phc4.org.